Abstract
Little is known about the mating behaviour of monogamous mammals. Here, we present behavioural and genetic evidence of fidelity in a socially monogamous dwarf antelope, Kirk's dik-dik. DNA microsatellite analysis revealed no evidence of extra-pair paternity (EPP) in dik-diks: mothers' partners matched the paternal genotype in all 12 juveniles tested. One likely reason for the absence of EPP is that males guard their mates closely during oestrus and over-mark all female scent, thereby reducing the likelihood of other males attempting to mate. In addition, males may be limited in their ability to search for extra-pair populations (EPCs) by activities associated with pair-bond maintenance. Year-round, males maintained proximity within pairs, followed their females' activity patterns, and spent approximately 64% of their time with their partners. However, males did attempt to obtain EPCs when the opportunity arose, and genetic monogamy in dik-diks is probably best explained by the behaviour of females: in contrast to many monogamous female birds, female dik-diks do not appear to seek EPC partners. We propose that females avoid extra-pair males because they are unable to mate with them without instigating a potentially dangerous conflict.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (235.9 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Altmann J. Observational study of behavior: sampling methods. Behaviour. 1974;49(3):227–267. doi: 10.1163/156853974x00534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bancroft D. R. A microsatellite polymorphism at the ovine pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide gene in sheep which can be coamplified with two other loci. Anim Genet. 1995 Feb;26(1):59–59. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1995.tb02630.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bancroft D. R., Pemberton J. M., King P. Extensive protein and microsatellite variability in an isolated, cyclic ungulate population. Heredity (Edinb) 1995 Mar;74(Pt 3):326–336. doi: 10.1038/hdy.1995.47. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brotherton P. N., Rhodes A. Monogamy without biparental care in a dwarf antelope. Proc Biol Sci. 1996 Jan 22;263(1366):23–29. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1996.0005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Buchanan F. C., Crawford A. M. Ovine microsatellites at the OarFCB11, OarFCB128, OarFCB193, OarFCB266 and OarFCB304 loci. Anim Genet. 1993 Apr;24(2):145–145. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1993.tb00269.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fries R., Eggen A., Womack J. E. The bovine genome map. Mamm Genome. 1993;4(8):405–428. doi: 10.1007/BF00296815. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hendrichs H. Changes in a population of dikdik, Madoqua (Rhynchotragus) kirki (Günther 1880). Z Tierpsychol. 1975 Aug;38(1):55–69. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1975.tb01992.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Henry H. M., Penty J. M., Pierson C. A., Crawford A. M. Ovine microsatellites at the OarHH35, OarHH41, OarHH44, OarHH47 and OarHH64 loci. Anim Genet. 1993 Jun;24(3):222–222. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1993.tb00300.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pierson C. A., Hanrahan V., Ede A. J., Crawford A. M. Ovine microsatellites at the OarVH34, OarVH41, OarVH58, OarVH61 and OarVH72 loci. Anim Genet. 1993 Jun;24(3):224–224. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1993.tb00302.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Swarbrick P. A., Buchanan F. C., Crawford A. M. Ovine dinucleotide repeat polymorphism at the MAF35 locus. Anim Genet. 1991;22(4):369–370. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1991.tb00692.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]